Curve Class

The Curve class is the abstractMustInheritabstractabstract (MustInherit in Visual Basic) base class for classes that represent curves in two-dimensional space. It defines common properties and methods for all such classes. Derived classes provide implementations for specific types of curves.

The name 'Curve' was chosen as an alternative to 'Function', which is a reserved word in many languages.

The ValueAt(Double) method evaluates the curve at a specific point. SlopeAt(Double) evaluates the derivative, and Integral(Double, Double) evaluates the definite integral over a specified interval. If overridden by a descendant class, the GetDerivative()()()() method returns the Curve that is the derivative of the instance. The FindRoots()()()() method attempts to find all the roots or zeros of the curve.

A particular type of curve is defined by a set of parameters. These parameters can be set and retrieved through the Parameters property which is of type ParameterCollection. The number of such parameters is given by the Count property of the Parameters property.

Curve is an abstract base class and cannot be instantiated directly. The following derived classes have been defined:

Notes to inheritors: When you derive from Curve, you must override the following member: ValueAt(Double). You should also override the following members: SlopeAt(Double), Integral(Double, Double), FindRoots()()()(), and GetDerivative()()()().